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How to lead without authority

Being an IC has many perks, but there are a few drawbacks to contend with. Learn how to influence and lead without authority.
July 24, 2024

7 minutes

Finding ways to further your initiatives without a title can be tricky, but influence, empathy, and a drop of office politics might just be the answer.

Teams often operate hierarchically and if you don’t hold any formal authority it can be challenging to influence a decision. This is a challenge unanimously shared among staff+ engineers and one that many have toiled with. However, recent layoffs, economic instability, and wider socio-political factors have brought a new dynamic whereby many companies are removing multiple layers of management to improve efficiency. This has led to widespread conversion of managers to individual contributors (ICs) who, without the “manager” title, don’t have the authority to execute like they used to do before.

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